Vending machine



Jan. 18, 1944. GABRIELSEN 2,

VENDING MACHINE Filed June 27, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR li/fi/v/a/vbmass/v -1 1944- c. GABRIELSEN VENDING MACHINE Filed June 2'7, 194

0 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' ll llrlill- .FlllllIlllllll I l Patented Jan. 18, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENDING R IACHINE Christian. Gabrielsen, Belleville, N. .L, assignor to Rowe Manufacturing 00., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 2: 1940, Serial No. 3424542 e Claims. (o1. s12 s7) This invention relates to vending machines.

It is an object of the invention to provide in a vending machine improved means for ejecting auxiliary articles and for supporting the principal articles to be dispensed during ejection. A further object of the invention is to adapt machines to the vending of articles of different sizes, such as cigarette packages of difierent lengths, and to co-ordinate the dispensing of such articles with the ejection of auxiliary articles, such as book matches. Another object of the invention is to provide a container unit complete in itself which can be inserted in vending machines of various types without disturbing the delivery or other mechanism of such machines.

With these and other objects which will appear in the following full description in mind, the invention consists in the combinations and arrangement of parts and details of construction which will now first be described in connection with the accompanying drawings and then pointed out more particularly in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly broke away, of a container unit embodying the invention in a preferred form as applied to the vending of cigarettes;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan View of the unit of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section taken on theline d-ll of Figure 2 and on an enlarged scale;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 2 and showing the parts in different operating positions;

Figure 6 is a View showing the lowermost part of Figure 2 with certain devices inserted to adapt a column to the vending of shorter packages; and

Figure 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 'l---'! of Figure 6.

Referring now to Figures 1, 2, 3 and '7, the container unit of the invention comprises a plurality of open chutes for holding a number of columns of packages of cigarettes land formed in the usual way of sheet metal, including rear walls 2, side walls 3. and front flangest. This container unit may be inserted as a whole into existing vending machines instead of the container units originally provided therewith if desired, and fastened therein by clips or any other convenient means, to adapt such machines to the securing of the advantages of the present invention. In Figures 1, 2 and 6 enough of the plunger mechanism of such a machine is illustrated to show the, relation of the container unit to the delivery mechanism. As there shown, the, container unit is positioned above article supporting and delivery tables 5 which are movable with reference to the bed plate 6 of the machine by hand operated plungers 1, sofas to permit the column of cigarettes to descend in the, usual way upon withdrawal of a plunger, and to rest upon bossesS (Figures 2 and 6). for rearward ej'ectibn of the bottom package upon, return of the plun'ger to the position of Figure 2.

Associated with the cigarette columns are aux-' iliary columns for book rnatchesfi formed with rear walls It, sidewalls H and. front flanges I? turned back from the metal of" the rear walls 2 of the cigarette columns and thus forming aper tures I3 for use in adjusting the match columns where necessary. Side walls! I are formed with bottom flanges Hi to support the column of matches during ejection. The invention contemplates the use of an im-- proved match ejector mechanism including" a match ejecting lever I6, which is pivotally mounted on a shaft ll carried in brackets [8 on a stiffening member 19 running'across the rear of the machine and is urged (clockwisein thefi'gures as shown) by a. spring 20 pressing'against the rear wall 2 of the associated cigarette column. Lever I6 comprises an upper 21-,

adapted to support the column of matches when in its rearward position (Figure 2) and to eject the lowermost package when brought forward 'to the position of Figure 5 and then returned to the position of. Figure 2, anda lower arm Z2,which serves to stop the lever in the position ofFigure 2 and on which is pivotally mounted at 23a shoe Ell by means of which the arm I6 is operated. The operating mechanismfor the arm' ls' comprises an arm 25 swingable,,about the shaft l! and-provided with an' opening 26 toaccommodate shoe 24. Starting withthe parts in the ositi n of Figure 2, to which they are normally urged by the'spring 20, the operation. is as. followsTS hoe 25 being in the position of Figure 2 toward .itis urged by itsown'weight, a straight portion 21 thereof will be resting upon the lower edgbf the opening 26 and an angular'portiori 23 willbe to the rear of the arm 25. Moyement oi the arm 25, acting through the [,shoe 2, l, swings the arm is to the rou ine,p ns oner 5, bringing the upper arm 2| to the front of the columnof matches and permitting the column to descend to the position of Figure 5 preparatory to ejection. At this time, however, a slanted end 29 of the shoe 24 comes in contact with a rear plate released from lever I6, is now free to move backward to the dotted line position of Figure 5..

After delivery of the package of matches and the cigarettes, the arm will return by gravity to the position of Figure 2 raising the shoe 24 and permitting the same to fall into the position of Figure 2 in readiness for a repetition of the delivery operations. Arm 25, in addition to operating the match ejecting mechanism, serves also the purpose of guarding the cigarette columns against the insertion of wires from the rear during the delivery operation. To this end, the arm 25 is provided with suitable stiffening and positioning means such as the side flanges 33 adapted to rest against the rear wall 2 of the cigarette column for maintaining the arm 25 in proper relation to the container "and carries at its lower end a cigarette package supporting angle 34. This combination of the match ejecting and protecting functions is made possible by the trigger action of the shoe 24 and opening 25 previously described, as a result of which, the arm 25, after passing the solid line position of Figure 5, hangs idly so that undue pressure is not exerted upon the cigarette package and the cigarette package is free to fall off the angle 34 as soon as its forward end clears the bed plate 6 of the machine.

The machine of the invention as thus far described may be proportioned for handling cigarette packages of the so-called king size and which are about three and three-eighths inches in length. However, any column may readily be adapted to selling the hitherto more commonly used shorter package, which is .about twoand seven-eighths inches long, by inserting the parts shown in Figures 6 and 7. In this adaptation,

an angle 35 is inserted at the foot of the arm 25, as shown, the cigarette-engaging forward portion of this angle protruding about one-half inch beyond the flanges 33. The column is adapted to the shorter package by inserting therein a part 36. comprising an upper slanting portion 31 and an angularly relatedlower portion 32 adapted to abut against the rear wall 2. With these parts 35 and 36 inserted, the column of shorter cigarette packages is guided forward as it descends in the machine, sothat the forward end of the lowermost package is in the same position as in Figure 2 and the rearward end of the package is related to the part 35 as the rearward end of the package in Figure 2 is related to the flanges 33. These conditions being fulfilled, the operation of the ejecting arm 25 for a' shorter package of cigarettes is the same as that previously described in connection with the longer packages shown in Figure 2. V

What is claimed is:

1. Ina vending machine, and in combination, means for storing a stack of principal articles to be vendedand means for successively delivering articles therefrom, a container for a supply of auxiliary articles adjacent to the first named storing means, ejecting means for delivering articles successively from said container, and actuating mechanism for said ejecting means comprising a movable operating member extending across the path of movement of said principal articles during delivery for movement by pressure of said principal articles and means for connecting said member to said ejecting means during a predetermined part of said movement and thereafter disconnecting said member from said ejecting means whereby the said member and principal articles engaging the same during delivery are enabled to move freely prior to completion of the operation of the first named delivery means.

2. The combination according to claim 1, in which the said member comprises a portion adapted to support the said principal articles during delivery thereof and to coverthe delivery end of the stack of principal articles.

3. The combination according to claim 1, in which the said head ejecting means comprises a spring adapted to urge the said member toward the said stack of principal articles when the said ejecting means is connected to the said member by said connecting means.

4. The combination according toclaim l, in which the means for storing a stack ofprincipal articles and the said member, respectively, comprise corresponding removable spacers adapting the same to operation with articles of, a given length, whereby the relation between the articles and the said member during ejection of articles of the said given length is substantially the same as the relation of articles of a greater'given length with the said spacersremoved.

5., In a vending'machine, and in combination, means for storing a'stack of principal articles to be vended and means for successively delivering articles therefrom, a container for a supply of auxiliary articles adjacent to the said first named storing means, ejecting means for delivering articles successively from said container, and actuating mechanism for said electing means comprising a movable operating member extending across the path of movement of said principal articles during delivery for movement thereby and including aportion adapted to support said principal articles during delivery and to cover the delivery end of said stack of principal articles, the said means for storing a stack of principal articles, and the said member, respectively, comprising corresponding removable spacers adapting the same to operation with articles of a given length, whereby the relation between the articles and the said member during ejection of articles of the said given length is substantially the same as the relation ofarticles of a greater given length with the said spacers removed.

6. The combination according to claim' 5, in which the said actuating mechanism comprises means for connecting said member to said ejec ing means during a predetermined part of said movement and thereafter disconnecting said member from said ejecting means.

' CHRISTIAN GABRIELSEN. 

